2010 Hyundai Tucson

Canadian sales figures for January have started to come in from manufacturers and it looks as though Toyota’s massive recall changed the minds of many buyers.

Toyota Canada says sales dropped by nearly 15 per cent last month. The large dip comes amid the company’s largest crises that saw it recall over 4 million vehicles worldwide over concerns of faulty acceleration pedals.

But, as analysts like William Pochiluk have said, other manufacturers have been there to mop up the damage, included Ford, which saw sales rise six per cent in January.

“Some of the key benefactors of this issue will be Honda, Hyundai and Ford,” Pochiluk told Canadian AutoWorld today.

President of Automotive Compass Ltd., Pochiluk said he expects the next few months to be difficult for Toyota as the company works to regain its solid image of quality and safety. But overall, he says, the damage will not be permanent.

Other companies reporting early January volume sales include Hyundai – which had its best January ever with more than 6,000 units sold.

Bucking analysts' predictions, Honda saw a drop in sales of 15 per cent year over year.

According to figures from Denis DesRosiers, total sales figures were up by 6.2 per cent. That number, however, is in comparison with already weak numbers.

Early winners include:
Audi up 127.8 per cent
Subaru up 45.8 per cent
Volvo up 38.5 per cent
Mercedes Benz up 33.5 per cent
Hyundai up 32.1 per cent
Kia up 32.4 per cent

DesRosiers warned it was still too early to tell how the year will shape up and that “March to June are the make or break months.”